The present invention relates generally to a weapon detection system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle-based threat detection system for detecting weapons of mass destruction being loaded onto a vehicle.
Despite enhanced security efforts following the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sep. 11, 2001, the majority of air cargo is still not scanned for explosives or other types of weapons. Passengers, along with their luggage, are scanned before boarding an airplane; but, air cargo typically is not. A major concern is that cargo being shipped from a foreign country is under the control of local personnel until after it is loaded onto the aircraft. If cargo is not inspected until after it has reached its destination, there is an opportunity for a weapon to be detonated by an automatic system when the aircraft is en route or as the aircraft approaches its landing at a population center. To date, little acknowledgment has been given to the very real possibility that terrorists could transport a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) into a country onboard an aircraft.
The main impediment to implementing an air cargo screening system is cost. An additional concern is that air cargo screening would slow down the shipping business, which may negatively impact the economy. Furthermore, if an air cargo screening system were to be implemented, it is important that such a system be designed to ensure against corruption by local personnel, regardless of whether it is domestic or foreign personnel.
A ground-based system for screening cargo, similar to those systems currently in place for screening passengers and their luggage, would be ineffective and impractical. To begin with, a ground-based system that scans cargo before it is loaded onto an aircraft would still be under the control of local personnel. Thus, there is an opportunity for local personnel to insert a weapon amongst the cargo loaded onto the aircraft, or for local personnel to be influenced into allowing a weapon to be loaded onto the aircraft.
A ground-based cargo screening system is impractical because it would be extremely expensive, and would be enormous in size. Explosive detection systems for checked passenger luggage cost billions of dollars to implement, and those systems are not large enough to scan cargo-sized parcels. The costs of creating explosive detection systems that would be large enough to scan cargo are unimaginable.
Although the threat of attack has been described above in reference to weapons being loaded as cargo onto an aircraft, weapons could similarly be loaded onto other types of transport vehicles, including marine vehicles and land vehicles.
There is a need for a threat detection system that is economically feasible, tamper-proof, and capable of detecting virtually any type of weapon before it reaches its intended detonation or destination point.